Wednesday 5 July 2017

Dick Van Dyke

Dick aka Richard Wayne Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, singer, dancer, writer and producer. Born on December 13, 1925 he has had an entertainment career spanning over an impressive seven decades where he has played prominent roles on the radio, Broadway, sitcoms and in a number of Hollywood movies. Some of his most notable works have been in Bye Bye Birdie and Mary Poppins, both being blockbuster movies of the 60's. He has also been a part of the popular Night at the Museum movie series.

Dick Van Dyke Religion

Dick Van Dyke had actually considered a career in the Ministry before he realised, through a high school drama class, that professional entertainment was where his passion lay. His mother, being from religious family, made sure Van Dyke had a Christian upbringing. Even though he did not follow his initial whim of joining the ministry, he continued to teach Sunday School at the Presbyterian Church and follows theologians like Buber, Tillich and Bonhoeffer with fervour.

Dick Van Dyke Political Views

During one of the most controversial US Elections, that of 2016, Van Dyke openly supported Bernie Sanders as his choice for the next POTUS. Van Dyke, being a democrat, also made a statement about the then candidate Donald Trump, suggesting that the latter would disrupt the delicate balance of the world and put us at war.

Who is he/she dating?

Dick Van Dyke married Margerie Willet on the radio show Bride and Groom in 1948 and they had five children. He later divorced her in 1984 after a long separation. He then went on to live with Michelle Triola for over 30 years, until her death in 2009. Van Dyke is currently married to Arlene Silver.

Dick Van Dyke Hobbies

Van Dyke published a book "Faith, Hope and Hilarity: A Child's Eye View of Religion", a satirical collection of anecdotes based on his experience as a Sunday School teacher. He is also a lover of acapella and is part of a group named "Dick Van Dyke and The Vantastix" which has performed numerous times in LA and on Larry King Live. Computer animation was another interesting hobby Van Dyke picked up in the early 90's and he later on used some of his expertise in rendering 3D effects to shows: Diagnosis:Murder and The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited. He continues to work with LightWave 3D.

Interesting Facts

Dick Van Dyke's first wedding was broadcast on the radio courtesy of the show Bride and Groom which paid for the rings, the honeymoon and household appliances! Apparently the couple was so poor that they had to live in their car for a while.

Van Dyke was told he was younger than he actually was, till he turned 18 when his parents finally revealed to him that he was born out of wedlock. It was a shocking family secret that he talked about in his 2011 memoir "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business".

And the most interesting fact of all; this amazing entertainer is 91 years old and still hasn't retired!


Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Van_Dyke
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001813/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm